The Cincinnati Bengals being a big enough national attraction and good enough to qualify for multiple primetime games a year on the biggest stages has to be a bittersweet feeling for fans.
On one hand, it’s something most of the fanbase has never experienced before. It’ll happen again in the season finale, as the NFL flexed Cincinnati’s Week 18 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers laced with playoff implications into the Saturday night slot.
But on the other, it puts Joe Burrow and the Bengals at a big disadvantage.
As Sports Illustrated’s Jay Morrison pointed out, the flex makes the Bengals the only team in NFL history to play five primetime road games in one season.
Why is this bad? The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. provided some staggering numbers:
And, once more for the kids in the back, the AFC North divisional road primetime problem is real.
Road teams are 2-13 since 2019.
The Bengals now put into 5 of the last 8 and haven’t been a beneficiary since 2020 (they were flexed out of home TNF vs CLE 2 weeks ago). pic.twitter.com/X1b7NQP610
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) December 30, 2024
Normally this might sound like nitpicking — but it’s pretty hard to ignore that 2-13 number. Zac Taylor has been horrendous against the AFC North, but in this case, the problem impacts everyone.
Alas, this is what the Bengals have to deal with to finish the season. If they win, plus the Dolphins and Broncos lose, they’ll sneak into the playoffs. In addition to everything else, it requires moving this particular record to 3-13.
